Wednesday, November 4, 2015

A dream album from Peter Sprague and Leonard Patton

Dream Walkin--Peter Sprague and Leonard Patton

Guitarist Peter Sprague is a musician I’ve been listening to since my
undergraduate days at UCSD. Sprague caught my ear because, though a
young man, he found his inspiration in the old school jazz and his
playing revealed the influence of fine, older guitarists like Joe Pass,
Charlie Byrd, and Kenny Burrell. Sprague (who will receive the Lifetime
Achievement Award this month by the San Diego Music Foundation) is his
own person on the guitar, being a fleet fingered, vibrant stylist. This
was a time when much of what was called jazz was, in fact, directionless
riffing over static rhythms. Peter Sprague’s music, to cite a classic
line, was the sound of surprise.

Dream Walkin’, his most recent release with vocalist and
percussionist Leonard Patton, brings an intriguing variety of influences
.A revelation is just how fine a vocalist Leonard Patton is. He has a
rich voice, soulful with clear sense of dynamics. A jazzed-up take on
the Beatles pop hit “Can’t Find Me Love” showcases him charging the
lyrics with a trumpet player’s spirit, popping at the high notes and
revealing a wonderful singing unison lines with Sprague’s agile chord
work. Patton, as well, is an adept and responsive percussionist,
preferring a minimal set up, in perfect sync with Sprague through the
gorgeously modulated melodies and keenly swift improvisations.

The album has a diverse selection of songs that might suggest that
the album would become too diffuse and seem likewise directionless in
intent, but Sprague and Patton achieve a tight yet flexible sound,
allowing music to flow without harsh contrasts. Sprague performs a heart
breaking version of the classic “Shenandoah,” his guitar, reverberating
and chiming on the aching build of tension and release, and Patton
follows with a chorus that makes the song ache even more with the
longing for missed people, places, and things. This segues,
unexpectedly, with a galloping version of James Taylor’s song “Your
Smiling Face,” the perfect resolution to the yearning of the song before
it. Patton’s voice perks up, Sprague’s guitar picks up the tempo, and
what seemed like a sad moment of reflection becomes joyful.

Dream Walkin’ is joyful in total. The arrangements are tight
but not constricted, loose in the sense of musicians who know the
structure, the subtle tones, and the unexpected detours of song and are
able to anticipate each other’s next move. Also remarkable is the full
sound the two create; one admires Sprague not just for his speed and
technique, but also for the dexterity of his finger picking and the
finesse he allows when he uses a pick. And you come to appreciate, with
each listen, the sure, discreet work Patton brings to the percussion
tasks.